These Are The 10 Highest Server Salaries By State (2024)

Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of server salary by state for the United States:

  • New York has the highest server salary of $36,333

  • Louisiana has the lowest server salary of $20,657

  • The national average salary for servers is $29,901

  • The national hourly pay for servers is $14.38

You can read more on the specific methodology.

Background

Without fail, in surveys across basically every demographic, the number one most important aspect of a job for most people is the salary — how much do servers get paid where I live?

And while there are many things to go into how much you, specifically, can expect to make, there’s really good data for average salaries for server by state across America broken down by seniority level. So while your city may be slightly different than the state average, these averages give you a rough sense of what to expect for your salary.

The state with the best salary for servers after this adjustment? That would be New York.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for server salaries:

  1. New York (Jobs)

  2. Massachusetts (Jobs)

  3. Vermont (Jobs)

  4. California (Jobs)

  5. Washington (Jobs)

  6. New Jersey (Jobs)

  7. Oregon (Jobs)

  8. Connecticut (Jobs)

  9. Rhode Island (Jobs)

  10. Maine (Jobs)

Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.

Highest-Paid Servers By State

RankStateAverage Server Salary10th Percentile90th Percentile
1New York$36,333$24,000$52,000
2Massachusetts$36,211$25,000$51,000
3Vermont$35,964$25,000$50,000
4California$34,392$23,000$50,000
5Washington$33,958$23,000$49,000
6New Jersey$32,712$22,000$47,000
7Oregon$32,456$22,000$47,000
8Connecticut$31,860$21,000$46,000
9Rhode Island$31,758$21,000$45,000
10Maine$31,180$22,000$42,000
11Arizona$30,663$21,000$44,000
12Maryland$30,542$20,000$44,000
13Delaware$29,806$20,000$43,000
14West Virginia$29,566$20,000$43,000
15Hawaii$29,032$20,000$41,000
16New Hampshire$28,521$20,000$40,000
17Pennsylvania$28,367$19,000$41,000
18Minnesota$28,351$19,000$42,000
19Michigan$27,801$18,000$40,000
20Virginia$27,584$18,000$40,000
21Colorado$27,491$18,000$40,000
22Nevada$25,707$17,000$37,000
23North Dakota$25,552$17,000$37,000
24Missouri$25,394$17,000$37,000
25Illinois$24,886$16,000$36,000
26Alaska$24,865$17,000$35,000
27Idaho$24,650$16,000$35,000
28Ohio$24,304$16,000$35,000
29Utah$24,169$16,000$35,000
30Kentucky$23,933$16,000$34,000
31Arkansas$23,922$16,000$34,000
32Kansas$23,718$16,000$34,000
33Florida$23,627$16,000$34,000
34Georgia$23,554$16,000$33,000
35Indiana$23,552$16,000$34,000
36North Carolina$23,463$16,000$33,000
37Texas$23,294$15,000$34,000
38New Mexico$23,219$15,000$33,000
39Wyoming$23,122$15,000$33,000
40Tennessee$22,666$15,000$32,000
41Iowa$22,311$15,000$32,000
42South Dakota$22,303$15,000$33,000
43Oklahoma$22,262$15,000$32,000
44South Carolina$22,121$15,000$31,000
45Wisconsin$21,866$14,000$32,000
46Nebraska$21,723$14,000$31,000
47Mississippi$21,654$14,000$31,000
48Alabama$21,595$14,000$31,000
49Montana$20,840$14,000$30,000
50Louisiana$20,657$14,000$30,000

Methodology: Server Salary By State

To better understand server pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data across a multitude of channels including the BLS, FLC, and OPM. We then supplement that data with actual listed salaries from job posts. Finally, the data science team calculates a weighted average of these inputs to create an average pay for servers by state.

We took the average annual salary data for servers from these estimates and ranked every state on this criteria with the state with the highest salary ranking as highest average salary for servers.

Server Salary By State FAQs

  1. What is the highest-paid state for servers?

    The highest-paid state for servers is New York with an average salary of $36,333 per year.

  2. What city pays servers the most?

    Washington, DC pays servers the most with an average salary of $40,480 per year.

  3. What is the worst state for servers?

    The worst state for servers is Louisiana with an average salary of $20,657 per year.

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Server Resources

  • Table Of Contents

    • Salary By State
    • Overview
    • Jobs
    • Salary
    • Resume
    • Skills
    • What They Do
    • Education
    • Certifications
    • Demographics
    • Best States

These Are The 10 Highest Server Salaries By State (1)

Author

Chris KolmarThese Are The 10 Highest Server Salaries By State (2)

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job.His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news.More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

These Are The 10 Highest Server Salaries By State (2024)

FAQs

These Are The 10 Highest Server Salaries By State? ›

Generally speaking, servers can make the most money if the food at their restaurant is pricey, and the wines even pricier, since tips are calculated as a percentage of the total of the bill. Higher bill total, higher tips. That means that fine dining restaurants tend to be where servers can make the most money.

Where do servers make the most money? ›

Generally speaking, servers can make the most money if the food at their restaurant is pricey, and the wines even pricier, since tips are calculated as a percentage of the total of the bill. Higher bill total, higher tips. That means that fine dining restaurants tend to be where servers can make the most money.

What is the highest-paid waiter? ›

NEW YORK, June 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eric Valdivieso, a native New Yorker, has been widely recognized by leading figures in the hospitality industry, as an icon. He is the world's highest-paid server, regularly earning in excess of $100,000 every year, serving customers in restaurants and hotels in NYC.

What states pay the highest salaries? ›

2024 Average Salary by State Rankings
RankStateAverage Annual Salary
1Massachusetts$76,600
2New York$74,870
3California$73,220
4Washington$72,350
46 more rows
Apr 12, 2024

What is the best server pay? ›

High End Server Salary
Annual SalaryHourly Wage
Top Earners$48,500$23
75th Percentile$36,000$17
Average$31,808$15
25th Percentile$21,500$10

Can servers make $100,000? ›

servers can make 6 figures. yeah, we know a few servers here on the Strip. who would easily make about 150, maybe as high as 200 000 a year. just working at a really high end restaurant.

What state pays servers the most? ›

The highest-paid state for servers is New York with an average salary of $36,333 per year. What city pays servers the most? Washington, DC pays servers the most with an average salary of $40,480 per year.

What is the top 10 income in the US? ›

The top 5% of households, three quarters of whom had two income earners, had incomes of $166,200 (about 10 times the 2009 US minimum wage, for one income earner, and about 5 times the 2009 US minimum wage for two income earners) or higher, with the top 10% having incomes well in excess of $100,000.

What is the lowest paying state? ›

These states and territories have the lowest minimum wage rates in the U.S.:
  • Georgia: $5.15.
  • Wyoming: $5.15.
  • West Virginia: $8.75.
  • Minnesota: $8.85 (for small employers, or those with an annual gross revenue of less than $500,000)
  • Puerto Rico: $9.50.
Apr 15, 2024

What is the top 5 salary in the US? ›

$335,891

Where do most of the earnings for servers come from? ›

The bulk of a server's salary in the US comes from tips. So, how much a server makes is based on its volume of sales. While it is customary to tip between 15% and 20%, many people tip above or below that based on their perception of the quality of service.

Do servers actually make a lot of money? ›

It's turned into a bit of an issue. In California, servers make right under $14 an hour in restaurants with fewer than 25 employees and $15 an hour in restaurants with over 25 employees. So long gone are the days when they were paid $3 or less an hour.

How to make a lot of money being a server? ›

Take note of these simple ways to earn more tips when serving your customers.
  1. Serve More Small Groups to Get Bigger Tips. ...
  2. Introduce Yourself Right Away. ...
  3. Smile More Often. ...
  4. Credit & Debit Customers Tip More. ...
  5. Add a Personal Touch. ...
  6. Wearing Something in Your Hair Means More Tips. ...
  7. Repeat Orders Back to Your Customers.

Where do restaurants make the most money? ›

Fast-food restaurants

Fast-food restaurants are some of the most profitable types of restaurants because the food is quick to make, the ingredients don't cost much, and customers love a good fast-food meal.

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